The Brexit House

by Julia Winter

Late August, 2019. As talk of a prorogation of parliament overwhelms the news cycle, a cast of London guests are holidaying in an Edwardian family house at the seaside in Dover. Little do they know just how this parliamentary strife will affect their own lives over the coming days...

Left-wing liberal Cecily Hayes feels passionately that Brexit is laying siege to the England she loves. With this in mind, she embarks upon a literary quest, from John Foxe, through Milton, Defoe, Wollstonecraft and Blake, to discover what exactly it is, this 'England' of her heart. Quite contrary to this, Cecily’s friend Diana hopes, conversely, that Brexit can save her England from cultural extinction.

In the mix are also Cecily’s German-Togolese husband, Florian, who is consumed by the fallacies of neoliberalism in the Americas, and her bumptious public-school educated nephew, who hero-worships Jacob Rees-Mogg. Last-but-not-least there is Cecily’s jolly financial-adviser brother-in-law and her wealthy sister, Victoria, whose secret plans for the family house could – if Cecily only knew – turn her whole world upside-down.

Within that house, as the holiday progresses and struggles at home mirror the struggles in government, unravels a story of Brexit a world of confusion and delusion, fury and betrayal.

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2023

About the author

Julia is a teacher, mother and former journalist living in London. After completing her MA in history she spent 13 years living and working in Poland.

Reviews

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last novel with a theme of English politics that I really enjoyed was The Casual Vacancy by J.K.Rowling, but this book is far superior to that.
The author has assembled two middle aged sisters, their partners, a friend of one of them, and three children, in a crumbling holiday home near the White cliffs of Dover. Now they let rip about all things sexist, or racist, or elitist, or selfish against the backdrop of the long Brexit debate. The polemic here is very much aimed at Boris and his chronies as the aged and ailing Queen is asked to prorogue parliament so they can do their dirtiest.
The author allows her main character, Cecily, to reference Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Milton's Areopagitica, Blake and Wollstonecraft, creating a deeply fascinating and engaging narrative.

[Sylvia Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that takes place just after Brexit. Thought-provoking and honest, it was. a pleasure to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone with an interest in the politics of the United Kingdom will remember the turbulent battles over Brexit all too well. Whichever side you were on at the time feelings ran high, and it is probably safe to say that nobody was neutral!

The divisions in modern Britain between the progressive elements within the population and the left-wing intelligentsia, and those right-wingers who yearned for a supposedly simpler time (simpler for whom, one is forced to ask - presumably not the subjects of the erstwhile British Empire or their descendants today!) created an enormous and apparently unbridgeable gap between the pro and anti-Brexit groupings.

Those tensions are clearly on display in this novel, not least in how each person justifies their stance and wants to see "their" Britain win. But as with the Brexit debate itself, there is so much more to it, so much that lies beneath the surface begging to be unpacked.

The effects of social class, the role of financial security or the lack thereof, the complexity of family dynamics, the cruelty of betrayal, and the fragility of national identity all play their part in the lives of the people who make up the cast of The Brexit House.

The characters are well drawn and multi-dimensional - even someone like Diana, whose politics are very alien to me. Some are certainly more likeable than others, but they all ring true to some extent.

This seamlessly weaves in history and cultural references, and is likely to be an absorbing read for those who are interested in politics and current affairs, in particular.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Grzegorz Gałęzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brexit House is an intellectual feast but at the same time a very pleasurable read. Julia Winter embarks on a challenging task of understanding why Brexit happened. Jumping between the minds of the main characters, she presents a balanced analysis of the thinking behind Brexit. To do this the author uses a snapshot of 4 days set against the backdrop of the Parliament's prorogation in August 2019. A medley of characters linked by family or friendship ties but set apart by huge personal, ideological and financial divides. Staunch remainers, committed brexiteers, those completely indifferent to politics - all "stuck" with each other in a Voysey house in Dover, providing a classic background for the Brexit debate and animosities between the characters - seemingly firmly rooted on the opposite sides of the barricade but actually having more in common than they would like to admit.
Well researched and referenced book. Very interesting combination of fiction and historical writing, backed with dozens of quotes from the classics of English literature, from Milton, through Wollstonecraft to Blake. Winter finds plausible parables to Brexit in Britain's past, skilfully navigating through the centuries of English history and literature. The book helps understand why Brexit happened and that it wasn't a one-off and actually similar things have happened in Britain in the past.
Loved the multiple layers, showing the characters' personal tensions mirroring the political turmoil of the time, providing a balanced picture of the complexities of Brexit England.

[E J Herriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

27 09 23 I loved this book. This was because it dealt with themes which many of us think about but rarely express. For example, Diana, a keen Brexiteer, considered, rather unwillingly, that her mother had been distressed about the level of ethnic migration into her home town of Greenwich. She mused that neither political party had asked if we wanted to be multicultural. She was not racist and would have been horrified to be considered so, but was alarmed by the clash of cultures she experienced. Diana had hoped that Brexit would restore the previous status quo. Cecily, a Remainer, was unconvinced by Brexit. She felt that Breixteers wanted to restore an England which was never as perfect as people , such as Diana, imagined. I don't personally totally subscribe to either view but felt that this thoughtful book is a valuable contribution to the political debate.

[Brigid Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores the complexity of different responses to the 2016 referendum and, in the process, the complicated and fluctuating relationships between family members and between friends. Intellectually Winter offers an original and stimulating historical exploration of deeply rooted religious and social attitudes in England. At the same time she also explores, with great sensitivity, the hurts, resentments, assumptions and prejudices which accrue in families over the years. The characters, drawn with a light touch and telling detail and the descriptions of 'the Brexit house' itself, its garden, and its dramatic Dover location combine to provide haunting images and convincing reality.
A subtle and memorable book.

[Rosie Galezia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully gripping read that manages to perfectly articulate my personal views on brexit and convey the strain it has caused families and friendships across the country.
The characters are well-developed, each with their own perspective on Brexit, and each character relatable in their own way. The novel links the motivations for Brexit to historical parallels which I found eye-opening and helped contextualise the current state of our country.

[Mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting cast of characters come to stay together in a coastal.British town. All with different opinions. An interesting study on how politics can make or break a relationship. An enjoyable read.

[Nick Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

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